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What are the most common reasons a jaw would click, pop, or hurt?

Patients say, “My jaw clicks and pops, and I wake up with severe pain in my jaw–I must have TMJ.”

And I reply, “Yes. I believe you have two of them.”

You see, it’s funny because the jaw joint is the “TMJ,” meaning “temporal mandibular joint.” It’s like saying, “I think I have ‘elbow’” or ‘knee.’” What they really mean is, “I have TMD,” which is temporomandibular disorder – a jaw joint disorder.

So, what is TMJ, what are the reasons for problems with it, and how do you fix them?